CORE ready to race new Porsche at COTA - video inside

Porsche is P2 in first test session; PC team has a championship focus

Following a heavy crash at the Grand Prix of Baltimore, the No. 06 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR returns to the track after a week-long rebuild back at the team's Rock Hill, N.C., shop, chronicled in the video link above. The rebuild started with a new chassis from Germany.

Colin Bruan got behind the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for the first time today at Circuit of the Americas, and took to the car quickly, even leading the GT times at one point. The team ended the first day of testing second on the times sheets, a rewarding result for the team's dedication to rebuilding the car.

Braun is partnered with Patrick Long and the pair will make a formidable duo at COTA where they both raced with GRAND-AM in March.

Colin Braun
Driver: No. 06 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

#06 CORE Autosport Porche 911 GT3 RSR: Patrick Long, Tom Kimber-Smith

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

"I really enjoyed driving the Porsche. It’s great having Pat [Long] and (lead engineer) Gary [Davies] to lean on with their experience. Today, I was just taking my time, getting it figured out and I feel fairly comfortable in it now.

"Since I did the GRAND-AM race here it was nice knowing what to expect. All my experience here has been in prototype cars though, so it was a little different going out there in the GT car.

"I’m not really one that feels pressure; I just do my job and drive to my abilities in anything I’m in. I really want to do the CORE autosport team proud because of all the hard work they put in after Baltimore. They did such a great job and I want to make their hard work pays off.

"Pat’s had so much experience in these cars, so for me this was maybe my 20th lap in a Porsche since I was 16. I’ve never driven an RSR before and Pat’s helping me as much as I can, so I take advantage of everything he shares with me."

Patrick Long
Driver: No. 06 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
"It’s a relief to see the car again after Baltimore and I think it actually feels better. The ultimate goal today was to get the car up to speed and that’s what we did.

"The track changed a lot today. In this four-hour session, it was a completely different track at the end than what it was in the beginning. I couldn’t believe how much it transformed.

"The first half the track is very technical and high speed—it’s very challenging on the aero. In the second half, you need to calm down and make sure the tires are changing direction.

"I thought putting Colin in the Porsche made sense on a lot of different levels and Colin has driven so many different things already in his career that I have a lot of confidence putting him in the car."

The No. 05 ORECA FLM09 is sporting a new driver lineup this weekend as Tom Kimber-Smith returns to PC racing, partnering with Jon Bennett.

The combo is focused on bringing home valuable championship points with only three races remaining in the American Le Mans Series and CORE autosport at the top of the PC Team Championship standings.

Bennett raced at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, in March of this year, while Kimber-Smith will race at COTA for the first time this week.

After leading the PC times early in today's four hour test session, the No. 05 ended the day fourth quickest in class.

Jon Bennett
Driver: No. 05 ORECA FLM09

#05 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09: Jon Bennett, Colin Braun

Photo by: JMHPics

"I think having raced here once before helps me get the lay of the land quicker. It’s great driving a PC car here with the ground effects. You can definitely feel the downforce. There are a couple turns here that were a handful in the Daytona Prototype, but the PC car went through there really buttoned up.

"Tom’s been a member of our family for a long time and he definitely knows his way around a prototype. It’s good to see him flourishing in the PC car and interesting to watch Colin develop in the Porsche. It’s fun using all of our resources and I can’t wait to see how it turns out."

Tom Kimber-Smith
Driver: No. 05 ORECA FLM09
"It feels good to be back in CORE’s PC car. It took me a couple laps to get used to having down force again, because the last time I was in a prototype was Le Mans.

"The car is running really well. We have some work to do still, but I’m really happy with how it feels already.

"This is a good circuit. It has good bits and bad bits, but it’s nice and wide. The first sector is a lot of fun, but the last couple of turns can be a bit Mickey Mouse. After my first time out, I’d say my favorite part is the Carousel."